General ledger accountant vs senior tax accountant

The differences between general ledger accountants and senior tax accountants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a general ledger accountant and a senior tax accountant. Additionally, a senior tax accountant has an average salary of $77,537, which is higher than the $60,034 average annual salary of a general ledger accountant.

The top three skills for a general ledger accountant include reconciliations, GAAP and balance sheet accounts. The most important skills for a senior tax accountant are CPA, state income, and tax research.

General ledger accountant vs senior tax accountant overview

	General Ledger Accountant	Senior Tax Accountant
Yearly salary	$60,034	$77,537
Hourly rate	$28.86	$37.28
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	81,408	57,686
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

What does a general ledger accountant do?

A general ledger accountant is in charge of ensuring the accuracy of a company's overall accounting processes and information. It is their responsibility to communicate with different departments and officials to gather necessary data, conduct extensive audits, prepare documentation and reports, maintain financial data on the company ledger, and interpret financial information. Furthermore, like a general ledger accountant, it is essential to monitor the progress of accounting processes, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

What does a senior tax accountant do?

Senior Tax Accountants recommend tax strategies, as well as assist the preparation of federal, state, and local taxes. They contact clients to resolve minor tax issues and work with the senior tax manager to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local tax legislation.

General ledger accountant vs senior tax accountant salary

General ledger accountants and senior tax accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	General Ledger Accountant	Senior Tax Accountant
Average salary	$60,034	$77,537
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $76,000	Between $60,000 And $99,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	California	New York
Best paying company	Citi	Riverbed Holdings, Inc.
Best paying industry	Technology	Professional

Differences between general ledger accountant and senior tax accountant education

There are a few differences between a general ledger accountant and a senior tax accountant in terms of educational background:

	General Ledger Accountant	Senior Tax Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Southern California

General ledger accountant vs senior tax accountant demographics

Here are the differences between general ledger accountants' and senior tax accountants' demographics:

	General Ledger Accountant	Senior Tax Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 36.9% Female, 63.1%	Male, 50.6% Female, 49.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 15.0% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.7% Asian, 14.3% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between general ledger accountant and senior tax accountant duties and responsibilities

General ledger accountant example responsibilities.

Prepare internal financial reports for treasury manage accounts include in external compliance reports.
Perform account analysis, cost accruals, bank reconciliations, inventory reconciliation and analysis; research and recommend transaction corrections.
Maintain ERP general ledger and data in sub module, and perform the expenditure review according to budgeting.
Prepare monthly, reconciliations of subsidiary ledgers to general ledger control accounts.
Reconcile general ledger accounts which including preparing journal entries and accruals in preparation of consolidate financial reports.
Prepare various monthly journal entries to record prepay insurance amortization, payroll deduction liabilities and other liability accruals.

Senior tax accountant example responsibilities.

Research technical topics in taxation to present to the tax department and clients on areas of concern in the IRS code.
Participate in monthly accounting close with preparation and ownership of tax accrual journal entries and reconciliations.
Help implement, and maintain federal and state tax provision information into OneSource.
Work with internal and external resources to ensure implementation of CCH software on shopping cart is successful.
Assist and review the maintenance of the OneSource database relative to coding & mapping of the trial balance.
Conduct research with CCH and RIA on tax exposures, savings, refund, recovery, and credits.

General ledger accountant vs senior tax accountant skills

Common general ledger accountant skills

Reconciliations, 15%
GAAP, 6%
Balance Sheet Accounts, 6%
Payroll, 5%
Accruals, 5%
External Auditors, 4%

Common senior tax accountant skills

CPA, 14%
State Income, 5%
Tax Research, 5%
Income Tax Returns, 4%
Tax Planning, 4%
Tax Compliance, 4%

General Ledger Accountant vs. similar jobs

General Ledger Accountant related careers

General Ledger Accountant related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Business and Financial Industry
General Ledger Accountant
General Ledger Accountant vs Senior Tax Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs